Clutch mechanism.



J. P. GLEAL &'J. G. FLETCHER. CLUTCH MECHANISM.

I APPLI ATION FILED MAY 5 1911 1,034.690. Patented Aug. 6,1912

. SHEETS SHEET l.

wa mzsszs. I 1 I b I INVEIJQTQ -S wi l a J. P. CLEAL & J. G. FLETCHERCLUTCH MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY c.1911.

Patented Aug. '6, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH .P. Gil-EAL, 0F TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, AND JAMES GILMOREFLETCHER, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

CLUTCH MECHANISM.

To all dflzom it may concern:

Be it known that we. JOSEPH P. CLEAL, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Toronto. in the Province of Ontario, Canada, and linesGimionn FLETCHER, a citizen of the United States, and resident ofPittsburgh in the county of Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania haveinvented a new and useful improvement in Clutch Mechanism; and wedo'hereby declare the following to be full, clear. and exact descriptionthereof Our invention relates to clutch Inechanism. v

The object of our invention is to provide a form of clutch mechanism foruse, for instance, in connection with printing rolls by means of whichthe rolls may be stopped automatically at a predetermined position sothat the printing rolls are brought to a standstill at the samepredetermined point each time so that they will always be in properposition to print upon the matter as it passes through the printingrolls.

To these ends our invention comprises the novel features hereinafter setforth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a longitudinal vertical sectionthrough the driving and clutch mechanism; Fig. 2 is a section showingthepawl out of engagement; Fig. 3 is a like section showing the pawl inengagement; Fig. 4 is a section on the line H Fig. 1 and Fig. 5 is asection on the line 5-5 Fig. 1. Fig. (3 is a section 'on the line.66Fig. 1.

Fig. '7 is an end View of the clutch member and Fig. 8 is a face view ofone of the stop rings.

In the-drawings the numeral 2 designates a suitable power line shaftdriven by a suitable motor and mounted in suitable bearings in theframe. A clutch member 3 is mounted on the shaft and is secured to saidshaft by the dowel pin 4 which causes said clutch member 3 to rotatewith said shaft. T hisclutch member 3 is connected up to the lockingPlate 5 by means of rivets 6.- A clench plate 7 engages and works freelyupon the clutch member 3 and one end of a spiral spring 8 is made fastto the clench plate 7 and the other end to the clutch member 3. Astop-ring 9 also runs freely on the clutch member 3 and one end of aspring 10 is made fast to the stop-ring 9 and the other end to theclutch member 3. This spring 10 Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed lay 6, 1911.

Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

Serial No. 625,537.

moves the stop-ring 9 forward when the stop pawl 11 is raised out of itspath. The

moves the clench plate forward. A spring 15 is interposed between thetop of the stop pawl 11 and a bracket 1.6 and incidentally helps to keepit from vibrating in its downward position. The clench-plate 7 carriesthree hardened rollers 17 fitting loosely to play upon studs 18 whichare made fast to it and these rollers are forced 'up an incline plane orlocking plate 5. The incline plane forces the rollers 17 on theclench-ring 7 downward and against the flange 19 of the clench-ring 20secured to the gear 21 thus wedging it between the incline plane and theinside of the flange of the clench ring 20. The ring 20 is-made fast tothe gear 21 which acts as unit secured to power line shaft 2 driven bythe motor through a suit able train of gears 22. It is obvious that thewedging of the rolls on the clench-plate 7 will impart the motion of thegear 21 to the power-shaft- 2 through the agency of this clutchmechanism which is made fast to power shaft 2 by the dowel pin' il. 1Onthe clen'ch-plate 7 there are three small spring steps 24 providedwith plungers 25. These stops are placed in theposition shown in the.drawing and fast to clench-plate, 7 for the purpose of normally keepingthe floating clencb rollers 17 out in the widest space betweenclench-ring 20 and lockingplate 5 when the clutch gear 21 is runningfree. In this manner the tendency is to keep the rollers 17 fromcatching at any time except when the clench-ring 7 is thrown forward byits spring and forces said rollers into-operative connection be-. tweenthe clench-ring 20 and locking plate 5. The motion of the stop'ring 9 inthe backward direction is limited and at a cer tain point it becomes apart of the shaft 2. The spring 10 is used as a counterrctardation andacts to check the speed of the lock shaft 2 before the front end of'the'awl 11 has pushed the stop-ring 9 aroun to the point where it becomes apart of the shaft 17, when the pawl 11 is rocked forward and downward,the lock entering the latch 14 and thereby preventing the stop 9 fromallowing the shaft 2 to rebound.

For convenience of operation in starting and stopping the machine inconnection with which our improved clutch is employed, we employ thestarting lever 27 with the flexible grip 28. The locking bar 29 ispivoted to the hand'grip 28,- and it will be obvious that by pressingthe hand grip 28 in the direction of the starting handle 27 the lockbar29 will be raised against the tension of the-spring 30 which has beenholding the ar 29 in its lowermost position with its end in one or otherof the two bar notches 31 in the bracket 32. One of the locking barnotches 31 holds the starting handle 27 in position to start the machineand the other in position to stop it. When the starting handle 27 ispulled backit rocks the shaft 12 to which it is made fast causingelectrical contact to be made by contact lever 33, being rocked down topress the contact piece 34 upon the contact points 35 which in turn aremade fast to the bracket 36. To one of these contact pieces 34 isattached a positive electric wire and to the other contact point 35 isattached a negative electric wire, the main line coming in the one andgoing out the other end of the motor, thus making and breaking thecircuit every time the starting handle is moved forward or backward;

From the above it will be apparent that upon throwing the awl 11 out ofengagement with the clenc -plate 7 and stop-ring 9, the springs 8 and 10will act to rotate the said clench-plate and stop-ring, and theoperation of the clench-plate 7 will carry the clench-rollers 17 intoengagement with the flange of the clench-ring so that the clutch-gear 21running loosely on the shaft the arrow Fig. 2 it wil be readilyunderstood that this action causes the clenchplate 7 to carry thefloating rollers 17 out ofoperative connection with the locking plate 5and clench-plate 20, thereby allowmg the clench-rin 20 to slip free atthe same time the sha 2 is moved forward to the limit determined bystop-ring 9.

By referring to Fig. 2 of the drawing of represents the extension on thestop-ring 9,

and aw represents the projection on clutchmember 3 which it is to beremembered. is made fast to the shaft; It will be apparent that thespace between these two projections is open and that the shaft 2 movingin the direction of the arrow will cause the projection or clutch-member3 at aw to move around until it COIItaCIs with the projection orstop-ring 9 at af. This stopring 9 is held in a fixed position by thelocking pawl 11 as previously described and it will be readilyunderstood that when this limit of movement is reached the shaft 2 mustcome to a standstill or the crank must break.

-When the limit of movement is reached the catch-pin 13 drops into thenotch or clutchmember at aa: which prevents the shaft 2 from reboundingin the opposite direction to which it has been running.

It will be noted by referring-to Fig. 3 that when the machine has beenstopped and the parts are normal there is a small space be tween thenotch face at am on the clutchmember 3 and the catch-pin 13 in thelocking pawl 11. This space is to make certain the movement of the catchpin 13 downward so that there can be no possibility of the catch pinfailing to operate and perform its function, i. e., that of preventingthe rebounding of the power shaft-2. A handwheel 41 13 made to move themachine in one direction, but to turn freely in the opposite direction.To accomplish this .a clutch-roll 42 is placed in, the hub oithehand-wheel and this works in a hardened sleeve on the shaft 2.Theslot cut in the hand-wheel 41 is beveled so that when the hand-wheelis turned in one direction the roll 42 is moved in the wider part of theslot and the hand-wheel moves loosely-on the shaft. When the hand-wheelis turned in the o posite direction the clench-roll 42 is moved into thenarrow part of the slot and is ushed between the two passing surfaces othe top of the slot in the hand-wheel and the hardened bushing. By theabove form of mechanism provision is made for stopping the power-shaftso as to bring the printing rolls 45 and 46 to a standstill at the samepredetermined point each time so that they will always be in properposition a to print on the object as it passes through the printingroll. In Fig. 3 we have illustrated a train of gearing connecting up themember, and a pawl member with said clutch member by the action of saidlockin for releasing said loc g member.

member; and means 2. In clutch mechanism, the combination of a shaft, aloosely mounted driving-mem her on said shaft, a clutch-member securedto said shaft, 21 sprin actuated rotary locking'memberon said cutch-member, a rotary stop-ring on said clutch member, a springconnecting said stop-ring to said1 clutchagin sai rotarymember and'saidsto i gng, ii hereby when said pawl is withdrawn said locking-member isbrought into engagement with said loosely mounted driving-member.

3. In clutch mechanism, the combination of a shaft, a loosely mounteddriving mem-' her on said shaft, a clutch-member secured to said shaft,a spring actuated rotary locking member on said clutch-member, a lockingplate on said clutch-member, radially movable rollers on said rotarymember adapted to be forced between said lockingplate and said driyingmember and meansfor releasing said rollers.

4. In clutch mechanism, thecombination ofa shaft, a loosely mounteddriving-member on said shaft, a clutch-member secured to said shaft, aspring actuated rotary lock-- ing member on said clutch-member, saiddriving member having a flange portion, a locking plate on saidclutch-member, radially movable rollers on said rotary-member adapted tobe forced between said locking plate and said flange portion of saiddriving member and means for releasing said rollers.

5. In clutch mechanism, the combination of a shaft, a loosely mounteddriving-member on said shaft, a clutch-member secured to said shaft, arotary locking-member on said clutch member, a rotary stop-ring on saidclutch-member, a spring connecting said stop-ring to said clutch-member,a pawl engaging said rotary locking member and said stop ring, a ockin-device on said clutch member, means for t owing said last namedlocking-device and said rotary locking member into engagement with saidloosely mounted driving member by the withdrawal of said pawl, and alatch on said pawl adapted to engage said clutch member.

In testimony whereof, we the said JOSEPH P. CLEA-L and JAMES GILMOREFLETCHER have hereunto setv our hands.

JOSEPH P. CLE'AL. JAMES GILMORE FLETCHER. Witnesses to Gleal:

D. S. TOVELL, H, M. Cmus'rm.

Witnesses to Fletcher:

Ronna'i (3., TOTTEN, JOHN F. WILL.

